“But you are my witnesses, O Israel!” says the Lord. “You are my servant. You have been chosen to know me, believe in me, and understand that I alone am God. There is no other God— there never has been, and there never will be. I, Yes I, am the Lord, and there is no other Saviour. First I predicted your rescue, then I saved you and proclaimed it to the world. No foreign god has ever done this. You are witnesses that I am the only God,” says the Lord. “From eternity to eternity I am God. No one can snatch anyone out of my hand. No one can undo what I have done.”
This passage tells us:
- Who we are – chosen to know Him, believe and testify that He has rescued us
- Who God is – the only God and our Saviour who speaks, sees the big picture and saved us
- Our purpose – His witnesses
- God promises to hold us into eternity
This is not only for each of us individually, but also for each church, no matter what size. We need to remember and celebrate these truths often, keeping the cross central. We get so distracted by other issues, often about the work of the Lord, that we lose the joy of the Lord of the work!
It feels like time is getting shorter (definitely faster!) so there is more urgency to share our good news and the hope that we have. In the national news, people are dying unexpectedly every day. We don’t know how long we or anyone else will live. They need to hear the good news today!
A Toolbox for Small Churches (40 people or less) 